Spots

[rio666uk]

Guys - my thai wife has been in UK for 18months now - she has never suffered from being spotty before, but she seems to be prone to getting spots quite a lot now.

She washes, cleanses and moisturises twice daily...

doesnt wear much makeup

eats plenty of greens, som tam, but very little fish or meat - do you think this is being caused by:

Diet - lack of multi-vitamins

Lack of sunny weather

The Pill

any ideas on causes and prevention welcome

[britmaveric]

Diet, Stress, Water, Lack of Sleep, Soap usually the cause of spots

[jdinasia]

spots?

that is as vague of a description as I have ever seen!

Have you consulted a Physician?

Edited April 20, 2006 by jdinasia

[rio666uk]

no weve not "consulted a physcian" or booked an appointment with the doctor for a weeks time as we say in the UK

im just wondering

sorry to be vague but its spots, pimples, acne, blemishes, teenage red spots that are over her forehead - cant really narrow it down much more than that

[britmaveric]

no weve not "consulted a physcian" or booked an appointment with the doctor for a weeks time as we say in the UK

im just wondering

sorry to be vague but its spots, pimples, acne, blemishes, teenage red spots that are over her forehead - cant really narrow it down much more than that

Perhaps allergic to smth?

[xyz]

no weve not "consulted a physcian" or booked an appointment with the doctor for a weeks time as we say in the UK

im just wondering

sorry to be vague but its spots, pimples, acne, blemishes, teenage red spots that are over her forehead - cant really narrow it down much more than that

I had an acne problem a couple of years ago. A Dermatologist prescribed tetracycline, which caused me to break out in a rash. Another Dermatologist prescribed some topical solution (I can't remember the name), which worked fine. The Acne cleared up after a few weeks. But by all means see a good Dermatologist.

[Dragonman]

do you think this is being caused by:

Diet - lack of multi-vitamins

Lack of sunny weather

The Pill

any ideas on causes and prevention welcome

None of these! In fact certain contraceptive pills may help!

In the vast majority of cases "spots" on the forehead are caused by bacterial infection due to over production of sebum. Stress may make the problem worst. It is possible to get treatments from the chemist, normally benzoyl peroxide. If this fails your GP will prescribe an anti-bacterial agent. For mild cases this should be sufficient otherwise a specialist may be necessary. Make sure if they are lower level bacterial infection (blisters rather than pimples) she does not burst, as this can cause severe inflammation leading to scarring. As I know from experience.

[groo]

spots can be anything. ranging from allergies, to bacterial infections to whatever. to solve the problem, i don't see any solution except to make an appointment with the dermatologist.

if that is not possible at the moment, you might want to try using Eucerin Oil Soap to see if it improves, if not, then some mild anti bacterial creams, stay away from steroids eg:Betnovate. but the doctor should be the right person to ask

i dont think its anything serious though.

Edited April 21, 2006 by groo

[sbk]

Over washing and over moisturizing can lead to problems as well.

Has she tried a different moisturizer? Perhaps one for oily skin? Or switched her soaps? That is the first step. Then, if it doesn't clear up, try a dermatologist, but any good dermatologist would suggest that first anyway.

[scotsman]

The change of environment from Thailand to the uk, also if its a new birth control pill it can cause this as some birth control pills dont agree with everyone. I now of this happening and the freind of mine just went and changed the pill for another kind and it worked.

[jdinasia]

well ... since none of us have seen the condition (even if we were qualified to talk on the subject )

the only advice I could give you is see a Dr ...

[britmaveric]

Post some digital photos - that might help. (spots, not necessarily the face)

[jdinasia]

or just see a Dr

[Dragonman]

well ... since none of us have seen the condition (even if we were qualified to talk on the subject )

the only advice I could give you is see a Dr ...

I think it's good to have other people's opinions as well as the obvious advice "see a doctor". I saw 13 over a period of 2 years regarding a condition I have, and rarely was I given the same opinion. So they're actually a bit like this Forum

Actually if we all stuck to things we were qualified to talk on, some of these forums would be very quiet.

[HarryHerb]

See a doctor about a few zits? He / she'd laugh you out of the surgery, especially in the UK.

What's up with her skin sounds like not lack of sunny weather, but the radical change in humidity. My skin goes crazy for a few weeks every time I go back and forth from here to the UK, simply because the air is so dry there and so humid here. Your wife's skin is overcompensating for the driness in the air and adding tons of moisturiser on top will only make matters worse.

The Pill will have an effect if she has recently changed brands, as I think had been mentioned. If she's eating veg, then her skin should not break out. Instead of a vitamin supplement she could try evening primrose oil, or starflower oil (available from Boots), which will nourish her skin from the inside - and cut down on the moisturiser.

My final 'diagnosis' is that many women find themselves entering a second adolescence re: their skin when they're in their late 20s / early 30s. Not sure why this is, but has happened to many of my friends - getting a mild acne - even those that had clear skin when they were younger...

[leisurely]

Spots/acne/carbunhcles call them what you will are not diet related. Check out any reputable website if you doh't believe me. ::

I suspect as someone else has already pointed out that it is change of climate and probably stress. New environment etc. If I were her, I would cut down the amount of products she is using, switch to soap and water and an oil free moisuriser.

Alternatively it could be the pill as somene else suggested. Has she changed brands at all?

Good luck.

[rio666uk]

Spots/acne/carbunhcles call them what you will are not diet related. Check out any reputable website if you doh't believe me. ::

I suspect as someone else has already pointed out that it is change of climate and probably stress. New environment etc. If I were her, I would cut down the amount of products she is using, switch to soap and water and an oil free moisuriser.

Alternatively it could be the pill as somene else suggested. Has she changed brands at all?

Good luck.

same same pill for the past few years

i think you may be onto something with cutting down on the multitude of cleansers, washes and moisturisers she uses though.

not sure its stress - shes happy in her job - happy at home - happy with how the family are back home and she's been here 18months so is as settled as she's gonna be really.

thing that concerns me most is her lack of variety in diet - its always som tam with a few variations... prawns and noodles seem to be fairly consistent - as does the occassional fish... and i do mean occassional -

back home she obviously ate much more fresh fish, chicken broths, pork and bugs for protein - here the fish arent "sep" enough

im sure this has something to do with it

[game4shame]

I find steam rooms and saunas are good for refreshing the skin.

Just an idea.

[Sheryl]

Change in humidity is the most liekly culprit. The skin preparations (soaps, lotions etc) that suited her in Thailand will not be appropriate in the UK due to very different weather. As it is much drier there, she needs to wash her face less often and with a milder soap. May need to experiment until she finds what works best.

As for diet -- it's not impossible that this is a factor if her diet is so restricted that it is deficient in certain minerals and vitamins, such as zinc. She should take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement daily.